The story
Read it all →How Odem came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Odem.
The city was platted in 1909 by John James Welder and David Odem. It was named for Odem, who was the county sheriff.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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History · Odem
Half of Odem’s homes were built after 1976
More historic than 21% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Most of Odem was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1976.
0on the National Register
5%homes built before 1940
Quick answers
Where Odem’s name came from
How did Odem get its name?
Odem was named for Odem, who was the county sheriff.
How historic is Odem?
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What drives the grade ↓More historic than 21% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Odem’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Odem is more historic than 21% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Odem’s overall grade.
Founding eraNo founding year we can rely on, so the grade uses the other two–Homes built before 19405.3% of homes (±6.0) · typical TX town 1.6% · U.S. 8.4%CNational RegisterNo listings counted · typical TX town 0.0 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 21%
NewerOlder
Few Texas towns list much on the Register (a typical Texas town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Odem’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (34% of Texas towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.0 points).
Founding year: our sources. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Odem’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Odem’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Odem’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.By decade
Odem, decade by decade
Today2 recent
2014
2004Famous people
See all →Famous people close to Odem
Nobody well known was born in Odem itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Questions about Odem’s history
How does Odem rank for history?
Odem is more historic than 21% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Odem?
5% of Odem’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.0 points), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1976.
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
Start a conversation
Sources
Where this page comes from
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (2), Wikipedia and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.